Who you know and how far you can reach.

That’s pretty much the definition of platform. But so many people are writing that the competition is fierce. And there’s so much competition for entertainment that books aren’t everyone’s first choice. Which means putting a book on Amazon will not sell it. Someone told me their book was in Barnes & Noble, and they were excited. I asked if they were in the stores, and they said, no, not that they knew of. But they were online at the website. Sorry, but everyone is there.

Jane Friedman, publishing guru and previous editor of Writer’s Digest and Virginia Quarterly, states that your platform is measured in three ways:

Ability to reach new readers
Ability to engage existing readers
Ability to mobilize super fans

At a recent conference, I changed this to read:

Ability to reach new friends
Ability to engage existing friends
Ability to mobilize super best friends

When you stop and consider that you are asking people to invest money and loads of time reading your work, it gives you pause. How do you convince these strangers to buy your stuff? But if you consider them friends, the effort has a softer feel to it. But still, how do you find these friends?

Create a newsletter that sounds like a letter to a friend.
Be constantly available online to anyone interested in you or your work.
Establish yourself on at least two social media sites and share yourself.
Do not alienate folks.
Be genuine.

People know about me. I share myself with them. And slowly but surely, people are finding my books. . . because we became friends.